Welcome to my blog. This blog is all about writing tips for writers and teachers of writing. Twice monthly, I will address one aspect of writing. I will also post tips about no-fee contests and calls for submissions by publishers.
If you would like to know more about me or my books, check out my website at www.nancykellyallen.com

Nancy's Books

Sunday, January 3, 2016

New year. New beginning. What a wonderful time
to plot the course for your writing.

List the projects you completed last year. Pat
yourself on the back for a job well done. You COMPLETED the project whether it
was garnered a contract or not. You followed through with an idea. Celebrate
the victory.

If you did not get a contract, it’s decision time:
Do you keep revising or start anew with another project? The decision is yours.
If you feel the 2015 project has commercial potential, give it the best
opportunity for a contract by polishing it until the sheen twinkles. If you’re
simply tired of working on it, file it and start with another. You can always
go back and work on the first project at a later date and that might be a good
thing. The distance from the project will later allow you to have a better
perspective on what does and does not work. In 2015, I pulled out a chapter
book I had worked on a few years prior, completely revised it, and got a
contract.

If you had several projects in 2015 that did not
interest editors, review them to determine which has the most potential. Show them
to your writer or critique group. Feedback from informed readers is like
winning the lottery.

Are you ready, pen? Start writing.

Call for
Submissions for Young Writers:

Magic Dragon. A
quarterly publication, presents writing and art created by children in the
elementary school grades in a magazine of quality four-color printing and
graphic display.

American Girl. A bimonthly, four-color magazine for girls 8+. Looking for
contemporary and historical fiction. The protagonist should be a girl between 8
and 12. No science fiction, fantasy, or first-romance stories. Up to 2,300
words. Allow 12 weeks for a reply.

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About Me

My route to writing children’s books has more twists and turns than a winding mountain road. I worked as a social worker and traveled many a winding road, uphill and down, around Hazard, Kentucky. Later, I became an elementary school teacher, and then a school librarian. After spending days introducing books to children, I spent nights writing books for them. At this point I have written over 30 picture books, one chapter book, and one middle grade novel. I have a master’s degree in Education from Morehead State University and a master’s in Library and Information Science from the University of Kentucky. Home is still in Kentucky in the log cabin in which I grew up. My husband, Larry, and I share our cabin with two canine writer assistants, Jazi and Roxi.